Minesweeper

Tips for Minesweeper

Start Minesweeper on Beginner, a nine by nine board with ten mines, until reading the numbers feels natural. Your first click is always safe, and so are its neighbours, so open a square anywhere and let the empty area unfold. The clock only starts on that first click, so take a moment to choose.

Every number tells you how many of its eight neighbours hide a mine. Work along the edges of the open area: a 1 with only one closed neighbour means that square is a mine, so flag it, and any number that already touches all its flags has safe neighbours left. That is where chording helps, because clicking a number with all its flags placed opens the rest of its neighbours in one move. Only chord when you are sure the flags are right, since one wrong flag opens a mine.

The common mistake is guessing too early. Before you click a square you are unsure of, look at another part of the board where the numbers may give a clean answer. Move up to Intermediate and then Expert, thirty by sixteen with ninety-nine mines, once you can clear Beginner without guessing.

How to play Minesweeper

The goal in Minesweeper is to open every square on the board that does not hide a mine. Choose a board first: Beginner, Intermediate or Expert. Then open any square to start. The first click is always safe, and so are the squares around it, and the clock starts when you make it.

Every square you open either shows a number or is empty. A number tells you how many of the eight squares touching it hide a mine. An empty square has no mines around it, so the game opens its neighbours for you and the clear area spreads outwards. From there you work out which closed squares must be mines and which must be safe, using the numbers along the edge of the open area.

When you are sure a square holds a mine, plant a flag on it. The mine counter shows how many mines are left to flag. Clicking a number that already has all its flags around it opens the rest of its neighbours in one move, which is called chording. Open a mine and the round is over; open every safe square and you have cleared the board.

On a computer, left-click opens a square and right-click plants a flag, and 1, 2 or 3 picks a level. On a phone you tap to open and hold to flag, or switch on flag mode and tap. M mutes and N restarts.

About Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a classic logic puzzle that many people first met on Windows computers, where it came with the system for many years. Kiloo's version keeps the familiar rules and the three standard boards: Beginner, nine by nine with ten mines, Intermediate, a larger and more crowded board, and Expert, thirty by sixteen with ninety-nine mines.

It suits anyone who likes a puzzle that rewards careful thinking, and a Beginner board is short enough for a quick break. This version takes away the frustration of an early loss, because the first click is always safe along with its neighbours. It also supports chording, flood reveal and a flag mode built for touch, so it plays as well on a phone as with a mouse, and the Expert board pans and pinches to zoom on a small screen. Your best time on each board is saved in your browser, which gives you a reason to come back and play Minesweeper a little faster.

Frequently asked questions